Portable presentation system and methods for use therewith

Abstract

A method and assembly for sharing information in a conference space, the assembly comprising a display configuration including presentation surface area juxtaposed within the conference space for viewing by an audience, the surface area including at least first and second adjacent presentation sub-spaces, a processor programmed to perform the steps of presenting an interface on the surface area useable to generate session images within at least one of the sub-spaces, the interface including a panel section in which a separate panel icon for each of the session images created during a session is presented, the interface further including a separate space on the surface area associated with each of the sub-spaces, the interface facilitating selection and dragging of panel icons to locations associated with the sub-spaces to control the images presented in each of the sub-spaces, wherein, when a panel icon is dragged to a space, an image currently associated with the sub-space is replaced at the sub-space.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A collaboration system for sharing digital content among a plurality of session attendees, the collaboration system comprising:
 at least a first presentation device including at least a first presentation surface for presenting content to conference attendees in a space, the at least a first presentation surface including at least first and second independent presentation spaces for presenting content; 
 at least a first processor associated with the at least a first presentation device for controlling content presented in the presentation spaces; 
 at least a first interface linked to the processor, the at least a first interface enabling at least a first attendee to control content presented in the presentation spaces, the interface further enabling at least the first attendee to store session content as a session content set that correlates content presented in the presentation spaces with associated presentation spaces, the interface further enabling at least the first attendee to reaccess and re-present a session content set at a subsequent time on the at least a first presentation surface where, the processor presents content from a selected session content set in the same presentation spaces that the content was in when the session content set was most recently stored. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1  wherein the presentation surface further includes N presentation spaces where N is greater than 2 and wherein the processor presents content from the selected content set in each of the N presentation spaces that the content was in when the session content was most recently stored. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 2  wherein at least the first user can use the interface to modify N. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 2  wherein the interface is presented on the at least a first presentation device and includes a panel section where at least some session content is presented as thumbnail icons upon storage and wherein the processor re-presents the panel section including thumbnail icons upon re-presentation of the session content set. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1  wherein the at least a first presentation device includes at least first and second different presentation devices that present the at least first and second presentation spaces, respectively. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 5  wherein each of the presentation devices includes an electronic display screen. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1  wherein the at least a first presentation device that presents the first and second presentation spaces includes a single presentation device that presents first and second independent presentation spaces. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 7  wherein the at least a first presentation device includes an electronic display screen. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1  wherein the at least a first presentation device includes a touch sensitive display. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 1  further including at least a second presentation device including at least a second presentation surface for presenting content to conference attendees in a second space, the at least a second presentation surface including at least first and second independent presentation spaces for presenting content, the second presentation device located remote from the first presentation device;
 a second processor associated with the at least a second presentation device for controlling content presented in the presentation spaces provided on the second presentation surface, the second processor linked to the first processor and for controlling content on the second presentation surface so that the content on the second presentation surface replicates the content on the first presentation surface substantially in real time. 
 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 10  further including at least a second interface linked to the second processor, the at least a second interface enabling at least a second attendee to control content presented in the presentation spaces on the second presentation surface, the second interface further enabling at least the second attendee to store session content as a session content set that correlates content presented in the presentation spaces on the second presentation surface with associated presentation spaces, the second interface further enabling at least the second attendee to reaccess and re-present a session content set at a subsequent time on the at least a second presentation surface where, the second processor presents content from a selected session content set in the same presentation spaces that the content was in when the session content set was most recently stored via the second interface. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11  wherein each of the first and second presentation surfaces is touch sensitive so that users interact with content in the presentation spaces via touch. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 1  further including:
 at least a second presentation device including at least a second presentation surface for presenting content to conference attendees in a second space, the at least a second presentation surface including less presentation spaces than the first presentation device, the second presentation device located remote from the first presentation device; and 
 a second processor associated with the at least a second presentation device for controlling content presented in the presentation spaces provided on the second presentation surface, the second processor linked to the first processor and for controlling content on the second presentation surface so that the content substantially replicates at least a portion of the content on the first presentation surface, differences between content presented on the first and second presentation surfaces indicated on at least the first presentation surface. 
 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 13  wherein differences between content presented on the first and second presentation surfaces is indicated on each of the first and second presentation surfaces. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 1  wherein the user interface is usable to change the dimensions of the presentation spaces. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 1  wherein at least some of the presentation content includes dynamic content presented as output from an application program. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 1  wherein the user interface is usable to move the presentations spaces to different locations on the first presentation surface. 
     
     
       18. A collaboration system for sharing digital content among a plurality of session attendees, the collaboration system comprising:
 at least a first presentation device including at least a first presentation surface for presenting content to conference attendees in a first space, the at least a first presentation surface capable of providing a plurality of independent presentation spaces for presenting content; 
 at least a second presentation device including at least a second presentation surface for presenting content to conference attendees in a second space that is remote from the first space, the at least a second presentation surface capable of providing a plurality of independent presentation spaces for presenting content; 
 at least a first processor for controlling content presented in the presentation spaces provided by the first and second presentation devices; 
 at least a first interface linked to the processor, the at least a first interface enabling at least a first attendee to control content presented in the presentation spaces, the interface further enabling at least the first attendee to store session content as a session content set that correlates content presented in the presentation spaces with associated presentation spaces, the interface further enabling at least the first attendee to reaccess and re-present a session content set at a subsequent time on the at least a first presentation surface and the at least a second presentation surface where, the processor presents content from a selected session content set in the same presentation spaces that the content was in when the session content set was most recently stored. 
 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 18  wherein the processor substantially replicates the content on the first presentation surface on the second presentation surface. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 19  wherein the first interface is used within the first space, the system further including at least a second interface linked to the processor, the at least a second interface enabling at least a second attendee to control content presented in the presentation spaces, the second interface further enabling at least the second attendee to store session content as a session content set that correlates content presented in the presentation spaces with associated presentation spaces, the second interface further enabling at least the second attendee to reaccess and re-present a session content set at a subsequent time on the at least a first presentation surface and the at least a second presentation surface where, the processor presents content from a selected session content set in the same presentation spaces that the content was in when the session content set was most recently stored. 
     
     
       21. The system of  claim 18  wherein the at least a first presentation device includes a touch sensitive display, the first interface device integrated into the first presentation device and comprising the touch sensitive display. 
     
     
       22. The system of  claim 18  wherein the first presentation surface further includes N presentation spaces where N is greater than 2 and wherein the processor presents content from the selected content set in each of the N presentation spaces that the content was in when the session content was most recently stored. 
     
     
       23. The system of  claim 22  wherein at least the first attendee can use the interface to modify N. 
     
     
       24. The system of  claim 22  wherein the interface is presented on the at least a first presentation device and includes a panel section where at least some session content is presented as thumbnail icons upon storage and wherein the processor re-presents the panel section including thumbnail icons upon re-presentation of the session content set. 
     
     
       25. The system of  claim 18  wherein each of the presentation devices includes an electronic display screen. 
     
     
       26. The system of  claim 18  wherein the at least a first presentation device that presents a plurality of presentation spaces includes a single presentation device that presents a plurality of independent presentation spaces and wherein the second presentation device that presents a plurality of presentation spaces includes a single presentation device that presents a plurality of independent presentation spaces. 
     
     
       27. The system of  claim 18  further including a second processor associated with the at least a second presentation device for controlling content presented in the presentation spaces provided on the second presentation surface, the second processor linked to the first processor and for controlling content on the second presentation surface so that the content on the second presentation surface substantially replicates the content on the first presentation surface substantially in real time. 
     
     
       28. The system of  claim 27  further including at least a second interface linked to the second processor, the at least a second interface enabling at least a second attendee to control content presented in the presentation spaces on the second presentation surface, the second interface further enabling at least the second attendee to store session content as a session content set that correlates content presented in the presentation spaces on the second presentation surface with associated presentation spaces, the second interface further enabling at least the second attendee to reaccess and re-present a session content set at a subsequent time on the at least a second presentation surface where, the second processor presents content from a selected session content set in the same presentation spaces that the content was in when the session content set was most recently stored via the second interface. 
     
     
       29. The system of  claim 28  wherein each of the first and second presentation surfaces is touch sensitive so that users interact with content in the presentation spaces via touch. 
     
     
       30. The system of  claim 18  wherein at least the second presentation device includes a portable computer device. 
     
     
       31. The system of  claim 18  wherein at least the second presentation device includes a display screen on a portable computing device. 
     
     
       32. The system of  claim 31  wherein the portable computing device includes a laptop computer. 
     
     
       33. A collaboration system for sharing digital content among a plurality of session attendees, the collaboration system comprising:
 at least a first presentation device including at least a first presentation surface for presenting content to conference attendees in a first space, the at least a first presentation surface capable of providing a plurality of independent presentation spaces for presenting content; 
 at least a first processor for controlling content presentation in the presentation spaces and maintaining a database that associates users that created each object with the objects created; 
 at least a first interface linked to the processor, the at least a first interface enabling at least a first attendee to control objects presented in the presentation spaces, the interface further enabling at least the first attendee to store presented objects as a session content set that correlates the objects with associated presentation spaces, the interface further enabling at least the first attendee to reaccess and re-present a session content set including a plurality of objects at a subsequent time on the at least a first presentation surface where, the processor presents objects from a selected session content set in the same presentation spaces and locations that the objects were in and when the session content set was most recently stored. 
 
     
     
       34. The system of  claim 33  wherein at least a subset of the objects include drawings applied to the presentation surfaces by system users. 
     
     
       35. The system of  claim 34  wherein objects on a presentation surface are selectable via the interface and can be moved about via a touch dragging action from one presentation surface to another. 
     
     
       36. The system of  claim 33  wherein the plurality of presentation surfaces includes N presentation spaces where N is greater than 2 and wherein the processor presents objects from the selected content set in each of the N presentation spaces that the objects were in when the session content was most recently stored. 
     
     
       37. The system of  claim 36  wherein at least the first user can use the interface to modify N. 
     
     
       38. The system of  claim 36  wherein the interface is presented on the at least a first presentation device and includes a panel section where at least some session objects are presented as thumbnail icons upon storage and wherein the processor re-presents the panel section including thumbnail icons upon re-presentation of the session content set. 
     
     
       39. The system of  claim 33  wherein the at least a first presentation device that presents a plurality of presentation spaces includes a single presentation device that presents a plurality of independent presentation spaces. 
     
     
       40. The system of  claim 39  wherein the at least a first presentation device includes an electronic display screen. 
     
     
       41. The system of  claim 18  further including at least a second presentation device including at least a second presentation surface for presenting content to conference attendees in a second space, the at least a second presentation surface including at least first and second independent presentation spaces for presenting content, the second presentation device located remote from the first presentation device;
 a second processor associated with the at least a second presentation device for controlling content presented in the presentation spaces provided on the second presentation surface, the second processor linked to the first processor and for controlling content on the second presentation surface so that the objects on the second presentation surface substantially replicate the objects on the first presentation surface substantially in real time. 
 
     
     
       42. The system of  claim 41  further including at least a second interface linked to the second processor, the at least a second interface enabling at least a second attendee to control objects presented in the presentation spaces on the second presentation surface, the second interface further enabling at least the second attendee to store presented objects as a session content set that correlates the objects with associated presentation spaces, the second interface further enabling at least the second attendee to reaccess and re-present a session content set including a plurality of objects at a subsequent time on the first and second presentation surfaces where, the second processor presents objects from a selected session content set in the same presentation spaces that the objects were in when the session content set was most recently stored via the second interface. 
     
     
       43. The system of  claim 18  further including:
 at least a second presentation device including at least a second presentation surface for presenting content to conference attendees in a second space, the at least a second presentation surface including less presentation spaces than the first presentation device, the second presentation device located remote from the first presentation device; and 
 a second processor associated with the at least a second presentation device for controlling objects presented in the presentation spaces provided on the second presentation surface, the second processor linked to the first processor and for controlling objects on the second presentation surface so that the objects on the second presentation surface substantially replicate at least a portion of the objects on the first presentation surface, differences between objects presented on the first and second presentation surfaces indicated on at least the first presentation surface.